A Royal Affair

You can usually count on a costume drama to be pretty. And as luck and rugged good looks would have it, Mads Mikkelsen (Valhalla Rising, Casino Royale) graces this Danish period piece with his face—making it extra pretty. Following a love triangle in the late 1700s between King Christian VII of Denmark, his English queen, and the king’s trusted confidant, a German physician (Mikkelsen), it’s a sad, lush tale, with great acting, a very pleasing Mikkelsen, and just enough bodice-ripping to wash down the social injustices of Denmark’s beheading-rich past. (COURTNEY FERGUSON)